(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a carrier for carrying a pair of skis, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a flaccid strap ski carrier designed to be carried over a single shoulder and capable, with the use of a single loop, of holding a pair of skis together and in a substantially vertical position, and with the use of another loop, of holding a pair of ski poles.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore there have been a variety of different types of shoulder strap ski carriers wherein two opposite ends of a strap or a belt are secured near the ski tips and ski tails, and the strap or belt is placed over the shoulder similar to a sling. Such carriers and holders are known to be described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 2,118,302 to Windheim; U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,695 to Helmert; U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,302 to Mazzoni, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,528 to Dyess; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,073 to Jacober. Also, these types of carriers are shown in French Patent 2,571,625 to Derbin et al, and Swiss Patent 318,337 to Lutz. None of these above-mentioned patents disclose or teach the use of a shoulder strap with a single strap connection which, when securing a pair of skis thereto and held by a standing user over a single shoulder, automatically holds the skis in a substantially vertical position.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,841,542 and 3,920,166 to Hogensen, and Norwegian Patent 44,397 to Borchgrevink, shoulder strap ski carriers are disclosed with a single lower strap used for fastening around a mid-portion of a pair of skis with the skis balanced thereon. In each of these known references, with a single lower strap used for fastening around a mid-portion of a pair of skis, the skis are then carried in an awkward horizontal orientation of the skis, which causes the user and skis to have a difficult profile for travelling through narrow spaces, which requires the user to continuously and consciously steer both the front and back of the skis, and which may lead to the touching or spearing of others with skis or ski poles. None of these above-mentioned patents disclose or teach the use of a shoulder strap with a single strap connection which, when securing a pair of skis together and held by a standing user over a single shoulder, automatically hold the skis close to the body in a substantially vertical position, with the hands of the user totally free. None of the known prior art patents provide a feature which allows for the uniform adjustability of such a shoulder strap carrier for skiers of different heights and for skis of different lengths. Also, none of these above-mentioned patents disclose or teach the use of a shoulder strap ski carrier to which ski poles can also be secured in a vertical orientation, and yet from which the poles can be easily removed with out also removing the skis, to allow a user to carry the poles separately, for example, as is required when boarding a bus or gondola.